Ravindra Jadeja To Return? India's Predicted Squad For West Indies ODIs

Ravindra Jadeja could return to ODI squad for West Indies series [Source: AFP]

India is all in readiness to return to ODI action for the first time since July, as they host the West Indies in a three-match series, beginning on September 27.

The Shubman Gill-led outfit will try to bounce back from their series loss in England, looking to build for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2027. This ODI series will coincide with the Asian Games in Japan, where India is sending a full-strength squad, led by Shreyas Iyer, who is also vice-captain of the ODI team.

Several names, including Jasprit Bumrah and Axar Patel will be off to Japan, opening up spots in the ODI squad. As these two events collide, we take a look at India's predicted squad for the West Indies series.

Top Order- Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli

Rohit Sharma remains India's first-choice opener, despite all the retirement rumours in the England series. In the final ODI at Lord's and scored 138(110), while India remained alive in a 388-run chase for a long time.

Closing in on 12,000 ODI runs in 288 matches, Sharma will open the batting with captain Shubman Gill. Having played 67 ODI matches so far, he has scored 3379 runs, averaging 60.33 — which is the second-best average in ODI history (min. 1500 runs scored).

Yashasvi Jaiswal was not a part of India's squad for the England ODI series, but with Ishan Kishan travelling for the Asian Games, the southpaw is highly likely to come back into the team.

The ODI superstar, Virat Kohli, also retains his place for the West Indies ODIs after scoring two 144 runs in three innings of the England series at an improved strike rate of 109.09, showing his willingness to evolve.

Also Read: Revisiting Last Time India Played 2 Different Matches On The Same Day

Middle-Order and Allrounders - KL Rahul (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rajat Patidar, Ravindra Jadeja, Suryansh Shedge

KL Rahul has been impeccable for India in ODIs since he was assigned the number 5 spot ahead of the 2023 World Cup. However, under the Gautam Gambhir era, he has also played as a finisher at 6, excelling in that role as well.

He was also India's captain in Gill and Iyer's absence during the South Africa series and is likely to return to the leadership group for the series, with Iyer set to tour to Japan.

(KL Rahul in ODIs since January 2022)

Rishabh Pant is touted to be back in the ODI reckoning as the backup wicketkeeper and middle-order batter. The 28-year-old last played an ODI in 2024 and has since been sidelined from the squad.

Kishan is to play the Asian Games, so Pant's left-handedness gives him an edge over Dhruv Jurel for the West Indies series as Kishan's like-for-like replacement.

In Shreyas Iyer's absence, the number 4 spot is yet again up for grabs, and Ruturaj Gaikwad remains the frontrunner to be back in the squad.

Rajat Patidar, who played his solitary ODI back in 2023, is also in contention to return to the setup for the series, courtesy of his List A record and form. He is set to be Gaikwad's backup for the series, as per recent reports.

Axar Patel and Washington Sundar will be off to the Asian Games alongside the other major players. In addition to that, Harsh Dubey, who has been around the white-ball setup since IPL 2026, is injured. Hence, Ravindra Jadeja finds himself back in the scheme of things, after being in and out of the ODI team for the last year or so.

One of the most important spots, considering the 2027 World Cup to be played in South Africa is the pace-bowling allrounder. Hardik Pandya remains the first-choice name on the list, but due to his injury woes he has an asterisk in front of his name for the upcoming India A vs Australia A series.

Nitish Kumar Reddy and Shivam Dube will play the Asian Games, which means Suryansh Shedge becomes a prime choice to be included for the West Indies series. He scored some important runs in the India A tour of Sri Lanka earlier in the year.

(Suryansh Shedge vs Sri Lanka A)

Bowlers- Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Prince Yadav

Despite Kuldeep Yadav losing his prominence in the T20I and the Test teams, he remains India's most important middle-overs bowler in the ODIs. The 30-year-old is closing in on 200 ODI wickets and has also picked 9 wickets in 5 One Day Cup matches for Yorkshire this season.

(Kuldeep Yadav in One Day Cup 2026 for Yorkshire)

Mohammed Siraj is India's best ODI pacer since January 2022, with 76 scalps in 49 matches, conceding at just over 5.06 runs per over. With Jasprit Bumrah playing in the Asian Games, Siraj will lead the pace-bowling contingent for the series.

Prasidh Krishna will be the second pacer of the team, after he recently completed his 50 ODI wickets in 28 matches. Despite some criticism over his economy rate, he concedes at under 6 rpo and is a strike bowler, especially in the middle overs.

(Prasidh Krishna's ODI record)

Gurnoor Brar made his India debut earlier this year and impressed with his new-ball bowling, clocking around 145 kmph consistently. So far, he has 11 wickets in 6 ODIs played so India.

Prince Yadav was been fast-tracked into the Indian team after his IPL 2026 blitz. He has already played 6 T20Is and 3 ODIs so far, picking 13 wickets overall. After hamstring injury, he is likely to be back in the squad.

(Prince Yadav's List A stats)

India's predicted squad for West Indies ODIs

Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (c), Yashasvi Jasiwal, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rajat Patidar, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Suryansh Shedge, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Prince Yadav.

Also Read: Jasprit Bumrah Creates Bowling World Record In India Vs Afghanistan 2nd T20I